Sipping a Rudd is relaxing

WHILE Kevin Rudd was not the Labor caucus' cup of tea, a year ago the people voted his blend the winner of Twinings' Australian afternoon tea competition.

His campaign included tweeted reminders to vote and a video featuring his cat Jasper taste-testing the aromatic blend. The tea bags hit the shelves soon afterwards, with a portion of the profits going to the RSPCA.

Now the company has said the blend will continue to fill tea cups around the country. ''We're thrilled to announce that we did listen to your many pleas and can confirm it is here to stay due to popular demand,'' Twinings said on Wednesday.

Mr Rudd said he was pleased sales would continue supporting the RSPCA, his charity of choice. But he also reflected that ''a man's got to have some success some time''.

Asked to describe his blend as a sitting federal member, Mr Rudd said it was a mixture of shadow treasurer and Rudd mate Joe Hockey and Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.